Married Malaysians Share The Things They Wish They Hadn't Spent On For Their Weddings
Maybe these will make you think twice for yours.
By Steffi Anthony — 15 Sep 2023, 06:36 PM
As wedding bells draw closer, it's normal for couples to feel pressured to make their wedding the best it can be — with some going all out regardless of cost
However, once the honeymoon bliss wears off and it's back to normal life, you'll be stuck with bills to clear off over a prolonged period of time. Is it really worth being overwhelmed by buyer's remorse?
Your wedding will be the biggest party you will ever throw for yourself, and they don't come cheap.
Whether it's skipping the flowers or going for a simple yet elegant dress, here are some wedding expenses married Malaysians wish they had reconsidered:
1. Renting too many wedding gowns
"Of all the gowns I wore throughout the dinner, I really liked my first wedding gown best. I didn't have a chance to take a photo of that dress with my guests as I had to change out of it too soon.
"I wish I had just stuck to that one dress for the entire night as I felt pressured to do three march-ins just like most weddings. Not only could I have saved money on the rental, but I would have spent less time changing and more time interacting with my guests."
– J.C., married for two years
2. Printables (Wedding invitation, place cards, menu cards)
"They're expensive to print and aren't environmentally friendly. Nobody cares to keep them and even if they do, they end up in a pile of trash, which was what I later saw at a couple of my friends' and relatives' houses."
– Faith, married for five years
3. Luxury car rentals
"Looking back, we were foolish for spending thousands renting a luxury car, when it could have gone to the renovation of our new home, or for a better honeymoon.
"Absolutely not worth it for a car ride that's less than an hour long, but at the time, we wanted to arrive at our destination in style and take nice photos in it.
"In the end, nobody cares which car you showed up to your wedding in. So, the car doesn't matter, as long as it's a decent car and the couple is happy with each other."
– Nelson, married for two years
4. Personalised wedding favours with the bride's and groom's names
"I regret the personalised wedding door gifts. Unless they were personalised with the names of each guest, to be honest, I don't think anyone wants a coaster or a tote bag reminding them of the bride and the groom."
– Zee, married for one year
5. A wedding scent
"If you and your spouse are fragrance buffs, by all means, go for it. Unfortunately for my husband and I, we are not into fragrances and ended up not using the perfume after our wedding, which we could have saved a couple of hundreds on. We only bought it because our friends suggested we get a special perfume that would forever remind us of our wedding day."
– Ling, married for two years
6. Videography
"We paid around RM10,000 for a professional wedding video which has since been stashed away. It was only displayed once during the wedding dinner. Pretty sure our guests don't even remember the details anymore.
"Looking back, we would have been content with collecting raw footage from our family and friends who recorded the special moments on their smartphones for their social media, and stitched them together to create a memorable video of our big day."
– G, married for five years
7. A disappointing venue
"This is not a financial constraint, but more so a regret of not doing what my heart wanted since it was my wedding. Both my wedding ceremonies were indoors as I was thinking about the comfort of my guests. If not for that, I would have definitely gone for both an indoor and outdoor wedding venue, which was what I wanted.
"Both options cost about the same anyway. So yeah, I felt like it was a waste because I spent money on something I wasn't really happy with at the end of the day."
– Dania, married for three years
8. Pre-wedding photoshoot
"Be wary of wedding photoshoot packages. It's really costly for what usually turns out to be 25 to 30 photos that you'll probably keep hidden away in your closet. Bridal houses and wedding photographers will often try to upsell you with nice packages — this usually includes a gown and tuxedo usage for your ceremony or dinner.
"However, most of the time, they are not in the best condition, in comparison to a bridal gown you specifically pay money to rent or a tailor-made suit. That being said, we still love the photos we got from our pre-wedding photoshoot. But would we rather have saved a few thousand ringgit? Yes. :')"
– Jeremy, married for two years
9. Guest table decorations
"Obviously, decorations are important to set the mood of your wedding, and having none will make the guest tables look 'naked'. However, I went a little overboard with my guest table decorations, which turned out to be extremely costly.
"The guests don't remember the details at the end of the day, and they get cleared away when the food is served. There are many budget-friendly options out there to consider, such as doing a DIY or upcycling glass bottles to be used as vases. There is beauty in simplicity."
– Emily, married for two years
10. A large, fancy wedding cake
"I'm not sure if people typically serve them at wedding dinners, but we didn't. It was too sweet for my family to even bring it home, and no one ended up eating it, so the entire cake was wasted. We could have saved a couple of thousands if we just used the dummy cake provided by the venue, or opted for a smaller cake."
– Chin, married for one year
11. Wedding emcee
"If you have friends who are confident with crowds and are great at livening up the mood, consider having them emcee your wedding.
"Not only will it save you a couple of thousand ringgit, but it would also be meaningful, as they already know you, and perhaps also your spouse, on a deeper level. The odds are, they'll find the right words to say at your wedding."
– Jenn, married for 10 months
12. Photobooths
"I admit that this was an extra cost to my already costly wedding. Besides, we already hired professional photographers for this purpose, and we had a beautiful wedding backdrop where our guests were happily snapping away with their smartphones."
– W.Y., married for four months
13. Extravagant wedding decorations
"My wife and I took a bank loan so she could have her dream wedding, filled with extravagant decorations using real flowers. Let's just say it was the worst financial decision we have ever made. I personally feel that if your venue is already beautiful, you don't need too many fancy decorations. Luckily, we're nearly done with paying off our loans from that one night."
– Anonymous, married for six years
If you're tying the knot soon, here's a gentle reminder to work within your budget and not conform to wedding norms
At the end of the day, it's all about you and your spouse. Your wedding will be beautiful, intimate, and memorable. Family and friends will be happy to celebrate you and your spouse, no matter what the wedding looks like.
